The present invention relates to speed control and fault detection in fan assemblies.
A fan is a standard component in most commercial personal computers (PCs). The function of the fan is to provide thermal cooling to the integrated circuits and other components in the PC. A lack of cooling in a PC and other forms of electronic systems can cause premature failure in the circuits and/or components, which is detrimental to proper system operation and results in the need for costly repair/replacement of the system. Thus, it is important to ensure proper fan operation, both by maintaining proper fan speed and detecting fan failures, in order to avoid the detrimental effects of inadequate thermal cooling.
Accordingly, a need exists for an integrated, efficient and straightforward system for controlling fan speed and monitoring for fan failure that can be implemented with existing fan assemblies. The present invention addresses such a need.
The present invention provides aspects for integrating speed control and fault detection in a fan assembly. The aspects include a fan, a first circuit is coupled to the fan for regulating speed of the fan, and a second circuit coupled to the fan and to the first circuit for detecting a fault condition in the fan. A ripple regulator is integrated as the first circuit, and a pulse missing detector circuit is integrated as the second circuit.
With the present invention, a straightforward and cost effective solution for fan speed control and fan fail indication is achieved. These and other advantages of the aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood in conjunction with the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.